GALILEO stamped his name firmly on this year’s Tattersalls October Yearling Sale Book 1. Eleven of his 14 sons and daughters catalogued appeared in the ring, and all found new homes.
They ranged in value from 200,000gns to 1,100,000gns, produced a sale best average of 557,727gns, and six of them will likely be making their way to Ballydoyle after their purchase dockets were signed by M.V. Magnier.
The most expensive of this group was the Galileo colt out of Anthem Alexander, the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes winning daughter of Starspangledbanner. Magnier had to overcome the persistent challenge of an online bidder and Oliver St Lawrence.
The colt was sold by Noel O’Callaghan of Mountarmstrong Stud and is from a family developed over many years by the farm. Anthem Alexander, who also ran second in the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes, is a half-sister to Dandy Man, while another star performer in the family is this year’s 1000 Guineas heroine Mother Earth.
“He is a proper horse. Let’s hope he is very lucky for his new people, he is going to a proper trainer and has every chance,” said O’Callaghan.
Galileo
Bloodstock agent Alex Elliott signed for the Galileo half-brother to the Hong Kong Group 1 winning own-brothers Time Warp and Glorious Forever when he negotiated a private sale at 230,000gns, but he had to go substantially higher, to 800,000gns, to obtain Barronstown Stud’s Galileo own-sister to the dual Group 3 winner Lancaster House. Their dam is the Grade 2 winner Quiet Oasis, and that daughter of Oasis Dream was runner-up in the Grade 1 Gamely Stakes.
“This filly is very hard to fault,” said Elliott. “I remember seeing Quiet Oasis when I was in California, she was a very good racemare for Paul Reddam and has obviously produced Lancaster House and this is a full-sister. She is a collectors’ item really. She goes to Ralph Beckett. She is for a new owner.”
Hadden Bloodstock
The first foal out of the Group 2 Duke Of Cambridge Stakes winner Aljazzi, by Shamardal, sold for 750,00gns to Hadden Bloodstock from the Newsells Park Stud consignment. The dam was bought for a million guineas from the Blue Diamond Stud dispersal in 2018.
“Plans have yet to be decided,” said Gary Hadden. “She is a lovely filly, the dam was a fantastic racemare. I think in this market fillies are standing out as a solid investment.”
M.V. Magnier’s other Galileo purchases included a son of Lightening Thunder who was runner-up in the English and Irish 1000 Guineas (650,000gns), a daughter of the 1000 Guineas winner Miss France (625,000gns), and a half-brother to this year’s Queen’s Vase winner Kemari (600,000gns).